The family is the first agent of socialisation. It is the first place one should feel love, comfort, care, and security. The family is a huge determiner of the habits people learn, how they evolve and what they become in the future. As a parent, how you treat and care and relate with your children can have a positive or negative effect on their mental health. It is important that you enhance the mental health of your children. In this article, you will learn 5 different ways you can help to promote the mental health of your children/family members.
Help them Maintain a Realistic Routine
Engaging in a routine as a family can have a positive effect on the mental health of your children. It creates a sense of stability and helps them to have something meaningful to look forward to. The routine you might have with your kids can be playdates, bedtime reading, storytelling, swimming lessons etc.
2. Celebrate the Small Wins
No matter how little, celebrate! Celebrating both the little and big wins enhances confidence and gives them the will to do better. It also gives them the idea that you are mindful and proud of them.
3. Talk to them
This might sound easy, but sometimes we go a few days or weeks without checking up and family. In some cases, these might span put into months or years before hearing from some relatives. Well, if you can see this, then it is a sign to check up on your family, no matter how close or distant they are.
Ask them about school, about their friends, ask them how they feel in certain situations, and be ready to answer their questions too. This will make them feel loved and cared for and to know that someone is still out there thinking about them.
Be ready to be supportive in difficult situations too. In the case that they lose a partner, break up in a relationship or lose a job, this is the time they will need their family the most. Be available and talk to them, and if they don’t want to talk, then be silent with them.
4. Spread Positivity
How you handle situations as parents or as a family might also influence how your children see and handle situations. When you show and spread positivity even in the worst situations, they tend to follow this trend.
In a world where there is so much negativity and toxicity, let your family be the one that spread light, peace and joy. Do not be that family member who only focuses on the weakness of people or only calls to compare your children to others in a negative way. Instead - compliment each other - be respectful - acknowledge their feelings - listen to them - give useful advice when needed and be ready to help when needed.
5. Encourage Them to Share Their Feelings
This requires you to create a safe environment where they can easily trust you and open up to you. It is important to acknowledge and understand the emotions they might be experiencing, even if it feels uncomfortable. Encourage them to share their feelings and not bottle in their emotions. Talk to them to know where their head is at and teach them that there is no shame in seeking help.
Bonus point: If you are struggling as a family and any of these ways of promoting positivity and mental wellness in your family is not working, then you should consider family counselling. JMore Counseling&Consulting has a goal to provide a safe and supportive therapeutic environment for families and couples. Attending psychotherapy sessions can help you get to the root of the issues in your family and help you feel motivated and empowered to take action and make real changes in your family.
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